The present invention relates to a method of reducing water production in hydrocarbon wells. In particular, the method concerns the injection of aqueous solutions of alginates. The method is especially useful in formations having a high content of bivalent cations in the formation water.
As oil fields increase in age, the amount of water in the produced liquids normally increases until it reaches values which require that the production be discontinued for reasons of economy. The inflow of water to the production wells is caused by the expansion of the aquifer adjoining the oil field or, in the case of secondary recovery processes, by the injection of water into the injection wells.
There are three distinct cases of water production in hydrocarbon producing wells which vary according to the structure of the formation.